Is 2 megapixels enough for uncropped 4x6 prints from burst mode shots?
Asked 8/17/2011
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My compact camera can shoot 10 fps in burst mode, but only at 2 megapixels. I want to photograph an outdoor company sports event (basketball and tennis) and print some of the best uncropped shots at 4x6 inches for display on a bulletin board and in a boardroom. Is 2 megapixels enough for decent 4x6 prints, or is a better camera advisable for this kind of sports shooting?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
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As a rough rule of thumb, photos tend to be printed at a maximum of 300 dots per inch (dpi), but anywhere from around 240dpi will produce a print that looks sharp when viewed closely. 300dpi means that every 1" × 1" square of print is actually made up of a grid of tiny dots, 300 dots along each side (and therefore 90,000 dots in total).
A digital camera's sensor also captures a grid of dots. The dots are known as pixels and 1 megapixel = 1,000,000 pixels.
We now have all we need to do a simple bit of maths. :)
A 6x4" print at an optimum resolution of 300dpi will be made up of (6 × 300) × (4 × 300) = 2,160,000 dots: just a touch over 2 megapixels. However, to print at a perfectly acceptable 240dpi we only need (6 × 240) × (4 × 240) = 1,382,400 pixels.
Result: a 2mp camera should produce great 6×4" prints!
Originally by user3644. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user3644
15y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes — 2 megapixels is generally enough for an uncropped 4x6 print.
A 4x6 print at 300 dpi needs about 2.16 million pixels, so 2 MP is very close to the ideal target. At 240 dpi, which is still commonly acceptable for small prints, a 4x6 only needs about 1.38 million pixels. So for casual display prints, 2 MP should be fine.
The bigger concern is not print size, but sports photography performance. Compact cameras may struggle with fast autofocus, shutter speed, exposure control, and sustained burst shooting, which can lead to blur or missed moments. A higher-end camera can improve focus tracking, frame rate, buffer depth, and resolution, but if your expectations are modest and the prints are just for company display, your current camera may still be adequate.
So: for 4x6 prints, 2 MP is enough; for reliably capturing outdoor sports action, camera speed and autofocus matter more than megapixels.
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